Jump to content

William Collins (cricketer, born 1848)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Cloptonson (talk | contribs) at 12:34, 13 June 2020 (further detail of death place, corrected misprinted death year). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

William Collins
Personal information
Full name
William Edmund Wood Collins
Born16 June 1848
Cheriton, Glamorgan, Wales
Died7 January 1932(1932-01-07) (aged 83)
Heacham, Norfolk, England
NicknameColenso[1]
BattingUnknown
BowlingLeft-arm fast
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 7
Runs scored 157
Batting average 19.62
100s/50s –/2
Top score 56*
Balls bowled 977
Wickets 19
Bowling average 23.57
5 wickets in innings 3
10 wickets in match
Best bowling 6/35
Catches/stumpings 3/–
Source: Cricinfo, 5 August 2019

William Edmund Wood Collins (16 June 1848 – 7 January 1932) was a Welsh first-class cricketer and author.

The son of the essayist William Lucas Collins,[2] he was born in Glamorgan at Cheriton in June 1848. Collins was educated at Radley College,[2] before going up to Jesus College, Oxford.[3]

He did not feature in first-class cricket for Oxford University, at a time when the side was dominated by players from Brasenose College.[1] He married Margaret Elizabeth Stepford Sackville in 1882.[2]

He eventually played first-class cricket in 1884, when he played for the Gentlemen of England against Oxford University at Oxford. He played again for the Gentlemen of England in 1886, this time against I Zingari in the Scarborough Festival of 1886.[4] Held in high regard by C. I. Thornton, Collins was invited by him to play for Lord Londesborough's XI against the touring Australians at the festival.[1][4] In the Lord Londesborough's XI first-innings total of 558, Collins came into bat at number eleven, scoring 56 runs.[5] He played again at the 1887 Scarborough Festival in two first-class matches, for the Gentlemen of England against I Zingari and for the South in the North v South fixture.[4] He was invited to play for the Oxford University Past and Present cricket team against the touring Australians at Leyton in 1888,[4] taking figures of 6 for 35 in the Australians first-innings.[1] His final first-class appearance came three years later for H. Philipson's XI against Oxford University.[4] Across seven first-class matches, Collins scored 157 runs at an average of 19.62, while with the ball he took 19 wickets at a bowling average of 23.57.[6]

He played below first-class at county level for Northamptonshire, Hertfordshire and, in one match in 1903, for Shropshire.[7]

Away from playing cricket, Collins was a regular contributor to Blackwood's Magazine and published two works of fiction set in Oxford: The Don and the Undergraduate (1899) and A Scholar of his College (1900).[1][2] Collins died in January 1932 at Summerhill, Heacham, Norfolk.[8] He was described by A. J. Webbe at the time of his death in a letter to The Times as "a very fine left-handed bowler, essentially the man for a hard wicket, as he was very fast off the pitch and came a lot with his arm. Also a great hitter."[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Wisden - Obituaries in 1932". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d "At the Circulating Library Author Information: William Edmund Wood Collins". At the Circulating Library. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  3. ^ Oxford University Calendar. University of Oxford. 1871. p. 356.
  4. ^ a b c d e "First-Class Matches played by William Collins". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  5. ^ "Lord Londesborough's XI v Australians, 1886". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  6. ^ "Player profile: William Collins". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  7. ^ Percival, Tony (1999). Shropshire Cricketers 1844-1998. A.C.S. Publications, Nottingham. pp. 10, 42. ISBN 1-902171-17-9.Published under Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians.
  8. ^ Shropshire Cricketers 1844-1998, page 10.